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Dreams

Dreams serve very little purpose as they are.

Everybody has dreams. Dreams are easy, simple. Dreams are like pixie dust or rainbow puffs. Dreams happen when you’re sleeping, when you’re bored even though you’re really just avoiding the work you’re supposed to be doing. Dreams are out there simply to entertain us.

The dream is just the beginning.

When you transform that dream to a goal is when the real work begins. When that dream becomes a goal, then you have given it meaning. To have a goal requires taking action, because goals without action are, in fact, just dreams. So, take a moment to ask yourselves, what are your dreams? Why are you leaving them as dreams rather than transforming them into goals?

Goals can be daunting.

I want to be a movie star. I want to be a headliner. I want to play the lead role in a blockbuster movie. Those are big goals… and there is absolutely nothing wrong with having big goals. What you must remember is that the big goal is at the end of the path you have embarked upon.

Which brings me to the path.

We all know the phrase “It’s a jungle out there”. I’ll tell you that it is true. It is a jungle between you and your big goal. The only way you are going to be able to reach that goal is to exercise a lot of patience, a lot of determination, and make your trail one step at a time.

Every overnight success was years in the making.

Let me tell you this in regards to patience and determination. Specifically, I think of Jennifer Lawrence and how she stormed into Hollywood. X-Men First Class, Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle–One after the other. X-Men First Class was in 2011. She was 21 years old. What you may not know is that she was pursuing her dream from the time she was 14 years old.

Fourteen.

That’s 7 years from the start to her first BIG break, and I capitalize big because there were many others along the way.

Another thing you might not know is that she played the role of a mascot in an episode of Monk in 2006. Her face was covered by the mascot outfit and never shown in the entire episode. But you know what that really was? It was a step toward that big goal.
In order to reach that big goal, you must make a bunch of smaller, obtainable goals that will lead you to your desired destination; that will encourage you to take that next step and continue down that path.

Keep track of your progress in a journal.

I encourage you to keep a nightly journal, and in that journal write down what you did that day which brought you closer to that goal. It doesn’t have to be anything big or dramatic. It could be as simple as “I skipped coffee today and put that money towards taking an acting class.” Anything that brings you closer should be written down.

Keep yourself accountable to your goal.

I’m a huge believer in accountability and honesty. So, in that very same journal and on that very same page write down what you did that day which delayed your progress or took you off your path. Again, this can be something as small as spending money you shouldn’t have.

There are also going to be days where you’ve done nothing to help nor hinder your progress. Write that down as well. At the end of each week, take a moment to read what you wrote.

Have you developed a pattern of progress?

Are you repeating mistakes?

Maybe you aren’t making any progress at all. And if so, why?

I leave you with this. Something to think about until the next part … in a later post.